Confirmed Trade: [TOR/TBL] Darren Raddysh (signs 8 years, $8.5M AAV) for 2026 5th round pick (MOD WARNING 253)

[stealth1]

Signing the kind of strong transition, great PP D that they need for 8% of the cap is not going all in.

There is nothing to say that the type of players you want the Leafs to sign will be both available in free agency and willing to sign in Toronto and for a price that makes sense. Seems more like a plan to do nothing again like last summer.

I can't picture that any team, or GM, or fan base, with players like Matthews and Nylander, who are 28 - 30 years old, would do what you suggest in order to build for an intended peak when those players are undoubtedly gone, but a soon to be drafted 18 year old, who has never played a professional pro game, is in his prime.

It's mainly due to I don't believe that Matthews and Nylander can lead a team to a Cup.

I am in the camp that they should be building around McKenna and for the future.

 

[DEANYOUNGBLOOD17]

“ He’s got the truculence that the Leafs are looking for!!!” Brian Burke

History repeats itself again!

Boston and then Florida get a 2nd and then a 8 th round pick overall in consecutive years (2027-2028)

( Seguin 2nd overall in 2010/ Hamilton 8-9 th overall in 2011)

 

[TheKrebsCycle]

Because Jeff Finger scored 70 points in the NHL.

If you think Raddysh is anything like Jeff Finger then you need to see an optometrist.

The legend of Jeff Finger is something indeed .

 

[TheKrebsCycle]

Yes there is. My question is do you think they can win a Cup in the next year or 2 with this core?

We have no idea what the team looks like at the start of the season let alone the deadline . Could be vying for division crown again or in the toilet . Largely depends on health and goaltending not being atrocious. But the offensive talent is unquestioned .

 

[RoadWarrior]

“ He’s got the truculence that the Leafs are looking for!!!” Brian Burke

History repeats itself again!

Boston and then Florida get a 2nd and then a 8 th round pick overall in consecutive years (2027-2028)

( Seguin 2nd overall in 2010/ Hamilton 8-9 th overall in 2011)

Do you know the leafs won the draft lottery?

Not the same as 2010/11.

 

[sd1976]

$10 million a year was based on a max 7 year deal. $8.5 million for 8 years is almost the same.

No it’s not. The first few years at 1.5 cap available is much more valuable than it will be in The last few years. On the back end when the cap is at least 140 million, it’s almost meaningless.

 

[Miles Stock]

It's mainly due to I don't believe that Matthews and Nylander can lead a team to a Cup.

I am in the camp that they should be building around McKenna and for the future.

Fans have a tendency to believe that any player or players who haven't led a team to a Cup after a certain number of years can't do so. Things are not absolute. Hockey is very messy. Sometimes it seems as though a team is not going anywhere until everything clicks together and they get some luck.

I remember years ago the vast majority of hockey fans said that a certain great player could never lead his team anywhere. He had no heart. Floater. Bad attitude. Couldn't play defensively. Couldn't take the physicality. Was injured all the time. In his first 6 years his team had only made the playoffs once (and lost in the second round). Maybe they should have dealt him and built around the future star they drafted 5th OA after missing the playoffs (with only 32 wins and seventy-some points) for the 5th time in 6 years with the guy who clearly didn't have it.

And maybe Washington should have dealt Ovi after 2014. And maybe the Wings should have dealt Stevie Y.

Now I am not comparing Matthews or Nylander to the greats. Nor am I saying that they are likely to win a cup. Winning a cup is really hard. But, this is a team with Matthews, Nylander, Tavares, Knies and now Raddysh and (I assume) Mckenna. Put those 6 on any team in the NHL and they would try to make it work with that group.

 

[Strangle]

That’s not true . They had Rielly but he produced very differently ; ie off the rush for the most part whereas Raddysh mostly used his clapper . Biggest difference is Raddysh isn’t poor defensively ( and right handed )

That’s true, it’s easy to forget that Reilly is still a productive dman

 

[sd1976]

Yes there is. My question is do you think they can win a Cup in the next year or 2 with this core?

Their team is yet to be finalized, but their top 6 fwds and top 4 d are actually really really good. It depends what they can do with their 3rd line. Also, all things considered, Carlo in the bottom pairing is pretty good as well.

 

[AuroraBorealis]

Raddysh 5v5 P/P60

2024-25: 1.49
2025-26: 1.56

He didn't change that much. People just had their eyes opened because he got 5 more minutes a night and was given PP1. He would have been solid on PP1 before too.
Deployment changes perception because most fans only understand season-ending point totals.

Think back to grade school math and how many people sucked at it in your class. That carried over into adulthood. They still don't understand context with numbers to this day.

So now people will say "OMG ONE GOOD YEAR AND THAT CONTRACT".
No. One year where he was properly deployed.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

If they were the same age? I take hedman every time.

But the thing im most excited to see is raddyshs shot which is the second hardest in the nhl. His shot will open up matthews lanes. Thats the hope anyways.

I dont want another offensive minded defenseman whos mostly gonna try to get it matthews.

Tampa has hedman already locked in. They've won cups with him. Let the man retire a bolt.

I was curious about the bolded so I checked out NHL's Edge stats.

Raddysh (among defensemen) wasn't top 10 in the hardest shot this past season. His hardest shot was clocked at 100.13. Tyler Klevin lead the league (surprisingly) with a 103.51 mph shot. Next was Pulock at 103.01 mph.

Louis Crevier lead the league in the number of 100+ mph shots this year, with 6 shots registering 100 mph or higher. Second was Pulock with 4 shots registering 100 mph or more. Raddysh only recorded 1 shot that was 100 mph or more.

Where Raddysh seemed to shine was consistency of the 90-100 mph range. He lead the league (and by quite a large margin) with 96 of his shots being in the 90-100 mph range. Second was Evan Bouchard with 51 times hitting in that range, and third was Erik Karlsson with 40 shots in that range.

On a random note, it's always been fascinating to me that relatively no-name guys who you don't really think of shooting hard can actually fire it, like Kleven and Crevier. Reminds me of back in the day when a goon like Stu Grimson actually had one of the hardest shots at the time.

 

[sd1976]

A team that misses the playoffs by a wide margin doesn't really "need" to add anything, so I'm not really buying what you're selling. They need to blow it up

And it’s impossible that it was a one off in comparison to the division win the year before? I guess Florida should blow it up as well.

 

[TheKrebsCycle]

I was curious about the bolded so I checked out NHL's Edge stats.

Raddysh (among defensemen) wasn't top 10 in the hardest shot this past season. His hardest shot was clocked at 100.13. Tyler Klevin lead the league (surprisingly) with a 103.51 mph shot. Next was Pulock at 103.01 mph.

Louis Crevier lead the league in the number of 100+ mph shots this year, with 6 shots registering 100 mph or higher. Second was Pulock with 4 shots registering 100 mph or more. Raddysh only recorded 1 shot that was 100 mph or more.

Where Raddysh seemed to shine was consistency of the 90-100 mph range. He lead the league (and by quite a large margin) with 96 of his shots being in the 90-100 mph range. Second was Evan Bouchard with 51 times hitting in that range, and third was Erik Karlsson with 40 shots in that range.

On a random note, it's always been fascinating to me that relatively no-name guys who you don't really think of shooting hard can actually fire it, like Kleven and Crevier. Reminds me of back in the day when a goon like Stu Grimson actually had one of the hardest shots at the time.

So he doesn’t shoot the hardest but more so he fires the most hard shots ? Whatever he’s doing it was incredibly effective . But thanks for the in depth glimpse

 

[TheKrebsCycle]

And it’s impossible that it was a one off in comparison to the division win the year before? I guess Florida should blow it up as well.

Are people still insisting on rebuild ? Lots and lots of hope for a repeat of last season when it’s not all that likely given the prior decade/ regression to the mean and the early roster additions ..

 

[SmoggyTwinkles]

Not a bad deal for Toronto.....if Raddysh can emulate his past season, they I am sure the Leafs could get a few good seasons for sure out of him.....and even if he turns out to be a dud, with the rise in the Cap, this wouldn't even really hurt the leafs down the road.....

The Leafs, shockingly, actually seem to be in a good cap situation for......like the first time ever.

They can handle this if Raddysh sucks.

 

[Miles Stock]

Raddysh had the second hardest shot of the season 2 years ago. I don't put much stock in that anyways. Matters far more how quickly you get it off and how accurately in all kinds of different positions, than how hard one can shoot it in a perfect situation that will happen once or twice a career.

 

[HavingACow4Cowan]

And it’s impossible that it was a one off in comparison to the division win the year before? I guess Florida should blow it up as well.

The Leafs had the longest playoff streak before last season. They were bound to have a season where things went poorly sooner or later. FLA had a season like that last season as well. BOS had that type of season in 2025.

I'm not saying they're going to be a top Cup contender next season or anything, but why would they blow it up? Teams that have been consistently making the playoffs or coming close don't usually do that unless their cores get old. DET tried building a team with Larkin as the top centre for years even though they missed the playoffs every season. It's not like BUF had had any success with Thompson and Dahlin before this season. OTT hasn't won a series with the Stu/Tkachuk/Sanderson core but isn't going to blow it up. Teams try to build the best team they can around the players they have and see how things go. That's kind of how the NHL has always worked.

 

[Drytoast]

I was curious about the bolded so I checked out NHL's Edge stats.

Raddysh (among defensemen) wasn't top 10 in the hardest shot this past season. His hardest shot was clocked at 100.13. Tyler Klevin lead the league (surprisingly) with a 103.51 mph shot. Next was Pulock at 103.01 mph.

Louis Crevier lead the league in the number of 100+ mph shots this year, with 6 shots registering 100 mph or higher. Second was Pulock with 4 shots registering 100 mph or more. Raddysh only recorded 1 shot that was 100 mph or more.

Where Raddysh seemed to shine was consistency of the 90-100 mph range. He lead the league (and by quite a large margin) with 96 of his shots being in the 90-100 mph range. Second was Evan Bouchard with 51 times hitting in that range, and third was Erik Karlsson with 40 shots in that range.

On a random note, it's always been fascinating to me that relatively no-name guys who you don't really think of shooting hard can actually fire it, like Kleven and Crevier. Reminds me of back in the day when a goon like Stu Grimson actually had one of the hardest shots at the time.

I read that he was second. Sure I'll accept he's third. I'll take third hardest recorded with his consistency over the others.

Either way his shot power is what makes him a unique weapon the Leafs never had and I hope he opens up lanes for Matthews as a result.

Need to let him tee it off a few times early in the season and that should help open up space for Matthews just as it did with Kuch.

That's the dream anyways.

 

[Golden_Jet]

Raddysh had the second hardest shot of the season 2 years ago. I don't put much stock in that anyways. Matters far more how quickly you get it off and how accurately in all kinds of different positions, than how hard one can shoot it in a perfect situation that will happen once or twice a career.

3 season ago he did, 23/24.
Last season ( one that just finished), and season before wasn’t in top 10 on NHL edge.

 

[Artaud]

I just think it's risky to sign a player with a Saiyan name to such a big contract...

What are the Leafs gonna do when it's the full moon and he turns into a giant monkey?

 

[WetcoastOrca]

No it’s not. The first few years at 1.5 cap available is much more valuable than it will be in The last few years. On the back end when the cap is at least 140 million, it’s almost meaningless.

Nice spin. Sorry I’m not buying it.
The contract will likely be bought out in the last 2 or 3 years.

 

[Duffman955]

I just think it's risky to sign a player with a Saiyan name to such a big contract...

What are the Leafs gonna do when it's the full moon and he turns into a giant monkey?

Hopefully game 7 is during a full moon and he can go ape shit

 

[WetcoastOrca]

Are people still insisting on rebuild ? Lots and lots of hope for a repeat of last season when it’s not all that likely given the prior decade/ regression to the mean and the early roster additions ..

I think the rebuild won’t happen until they have their own first round pick again. There’s no point in rebuilding in the next 2 years.
Not many bottom 5 teams become contenders again that quickly. We will see.
That said I do agree that they are likely to fight for a playoff spot next year and they will have some nice pieces to rebuild around.

 

[Metroid]

Banana raddysh joke turned serious, id like to share this with the main board cocktail enthusiasts. Pros to @grim with the idea that I ran with.

I give you the 'Darren Raddysh Banana Daiquiri' (hit up the leafs board for the ful spec of the joke)

This thing has no right to be this good (I wouldn't share if this was a bust)
1oz Wray and Nephew OP Rum (Jamaican)
0.5oz Bacardi 8 (Puerto Rican Rum)
0.75oz Banana Liquer
0.5oz Gentian Liquer
0.5oz Demerera Syrup
0.5oz Fresh squeezed Lime Juice.

Muddle 4-5 raddysh' with the demerera syrup, add rest in mixing tin, shake with ice, double strain in a coupe glass , garnish with a raddysh..

Cheers.

 

[Buckley]

From that perspective it makes sense. I also think this isn't a move the Leafs should be doing. They aren't close to being a cup contender.

I find it interesting that a month ago many leafs fans were saying that they didn't want to commit big dollars and term to UFAs. Now it's apparently all good. I fully expected this based on things I had been told, but I think leafs fans should also expect that the team will be loading up and sacrificing future assets to try to win now. They are going to try to become a Cup contender immediately. That is management's mandate.